GENEVA (Sputnik), Anastasia Levchenko — TTIP seeks to liberalize trade between the United States and the European Union, creating the world's largest free trade zone and accounting for 60 percent of global production.
"Norms and standards differ between the United States and the EU, not necessarily in the level of food safety protection but more in how they achieve it. If TTIP could result in more common understanding on norms and standards and how they are certified this could further the discussion at multilateral level as well," Evelyn Nguleka said.
The controversial TTIP deal is widely criticized for bypassing the multilateral format provided by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and excluding BRICS countries.
The strict secrecy of its negotiations and leaks detailing undue benefits the deal would give to multinational corporations have also drawn criticism from activists and lawmakers.
